Neil Finn on Fleetwood Mac internal politics

[elle]

Originally Posted by tango87

From a new interview in Mojo magazine with Neil Finn:

Did joining Fleetwood Mac surprise you?
I was gobsmacked. I was 60 and I’d had a wonderfully diverse musical life when Mick called and said, “We’ve got rid of Lindsey, would you play with us?” I’d just done Lightsleeper with Liam so he had a vested interest in me not doing it, but he said, “Give it a shot,” so I auditioned.

What? Neil Finn auditioned?
It’s the only audition I’ve ever done. I went to Hawaii and Mick spent an hour telling me it wasn’t an audition, but it was. I was auditioning them too: I wasn’t sure it was the right thing, I was quite conflicted, but I liked the people and the welcome was universal.

What did you bring?
The naysayers said, “No Lindsey Buckingham, no Fleetwood Mac,” but I brought personality and the ability to sing with Stevie and Christine. I could never be capable of sounding like Lindsey but I put a similar intensity into his songs.

Any contact with Lindsey?
No, but I’d really like to have a dinner with him. There’s a lot of ill-will, but I don’t think he bears any towards me and I do think he had prior appreciation of the music I‘d made. Hopefully, once he got over the massive disappointment, he’d have thought, “At least someone with something going for them is singing my songs.”

Who’s running Fleetwood Mac these days?
It doesn’t currently exist, but when I was there Mick carried the flag. He always has and he’s the heart and soul. Yet Stevie’s the leader in many ways, because Stevie wants it the way Stevie wants it and that’s the way it’ll be. She couldn’t bear to be in a band with Lindsey any more, but she still wanted to do it exactly the way he would have. It was more difficult for Mike Campbell: she was really happy with the way it sounded between me and her, but she put a lot of pressure on Mike to be more like Lindsey. Sometimes Mike’s solos would go on and Stevie would get exhausted playing tambourine. She’d be, “F***ing hell, Lindsey only did 12 bars!”

Notable parts for me: Mick saying 'We've got rid of Lindsey' (sounds awfully like a firing to me...), and 'She couldn’t bear to be in a band with Lindsey any more, but she still wanted to do it exactly the way he would have.' - I call that having your cake and eating it...



https://www.mojo4music.com/magazine/...024-kate-bush/ (Great article on Kate Bush too, for those of you who have taste.)

oh wow, i didn't realize this whole interview was what started this thread (thought it was an old thread and discussion of new Neil bean-spilling interview was just added in). also didn't realize this came out few days ago and not just today when i got a ping about it (i'm behind FM times here lol).

too bad that the glorious title of this article (Neil Finn on joining Fleetwood Mac: “Stevie wanted to do it exactly the way Lindsey would have.”) is missing above but glad to see all responses from the interview are included.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

You say that, but Mick and John told him to get a Les Paul and Mick tried to make him use a pick.

That's because Tele's suck. Too thin sounding. I have three, and the only one I play is my B-bender. Mick was right to get him to change.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Completely disagree. The decision was made without her. And, it takes away her paycheck (once again) dealing with a war that has nothing to do with her.
It's easy to say, I would have done this or that. But, she's with Mick and John. Not Stevie or Lindsey. And that's where I expected her loyalty to be.

She's tired of being in the middle of a lousy love affair. I stand by her choice and also feel that even had she quit, it would have had zero impact because they would have toured without her. And why should she give up her (turned out to be) her last tour because of those two ego maniacs.

Finally, there's too many assumptions on what she said and did behind closed doors.

Yeah, well, word is that she kept Bob out of the R&RHOF, too. She wasn't perfekt.

[elle]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Are people new here? People commenting with surprise that Mick said they got rid of Lindsey. Is that not what he always said?

Nothing new here. Even the part that Stevie is the leader "in many ways' is not really new.

hahahahaha - nothing new unless you are in a certain cult for the last 6 years.

it is NOT what Mick always said. it is what Lindsey always said.

for the rest of us, yes, nothing new, we knew it all, except that Neil knew full well that Lindsey was fired and that he's crossing the picket line, so to speak. for years both Neil and Mike claimed how Mick told them Lindsey left on his own and that's the only reason why they joined, that they would never cross a fellow musician. same as what was FM's official version for the first few years - that Lindsey left them again right before the tour leaving them in a bind so they had to scramble.

Neil basically completely confirms Lindsey's version, and completely disputes Stevie / Azoff version.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

and alas, the death of Christine gives her a perfectly plausible excuse for not doing anymore FM that doesn't reference Lindsey at all.

And frankly, I think more than Stevie, what has put the nail in the FM coffin is John retiring from doing any more tours or whatever. As sleazy as he can be, Mick will not go out as FM without John, period. So...would he tour with Stevie doing FM songs in some form or fashion? Maybe so. But to call it FM, I think he would draw the line. Especially with both John AND Chris now gone. I could be wrong however......

Mick just needs to do some kind of "Ringo's All-Star Band" thing. He can bring in just enough money to keep his head above water.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by elle

oh wow, i didn't realize this whole interview was what started this thread (thought it was an old thread and discussion of new Neil bean-spilling interview was just added in). also didn't realize this came out few days ago and not just today when i got a ping about it (i'm behind FM times here lol).

too bad that the glorious title of this article (Neil Finn on joining Fleetwood Mac: “Stevie wanted to do it exactly the way Lindsey would have.”) is missing above but glad to see all responses from the interview are included.

Thus my Bill Murray comment on your thread.

[elle]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Thus my Bill Murray comment on your thread.

lol i get it now.

i was thinking that you are talking about here we go again with this 2018 discussion.

you guys have been busy here the last few days!

[BigAl84]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Oh, I think you’re thoroughly underestimating her capacity to hold a massive grudge.

Also, I think Lindsey was toast before MusiCares. All that the playing of “Rhiannon” and the dancing while she was talking did was make her not feel bad about it.

Oh...I agree with you there, she's a major grudge holder!

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by BigAl84

Oh...I agree with you there, she's a major grudge holder!

She's bitter because she never got a life. Just her paid staff of yes people.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

That's because Tele's suck. Too thin sounding. I have three, and the only one I play is my B-bender. Mick was right to get him to change.

In 1975, yes. Today, a PAF in the neck position with a hotter bridge pickup is definitely not thin. Bonus points if it’s set up with blend wiring. I had a Duncan Set Lover neck and Duncan Broadcaster bridge that covered a lot of sonic ground. For my Micawber, I use a Duncan Seth Lover and Antiquity Lap Steel bridge with blend, and that Keefs for days.

A two single coil Tele with a 4-way switch (which I doubt were around in 1975) gets a nice PAF sound in the fourth position. My main Tele has this with a DiMarzio Twang King neck and Duncan Broadcaster bridge. Also, using a .003uF ceramic disc capacitor gives the pickups a P90/PAF type tone.

Of course, there are Tele humbuckers like a DiMarzio Chopper T or Duncan Little ‘59.

[elle]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

And I'd heard RUMOURS that she was giving Mike a hard time. I didn't really believe my source, at the time. I didn't believe Stevie was that much of a moron...

you mean:

"Mike, play more like Lindsey!"
"Why can't you play like Lindsey?"

Neil confirmed it all, in few short sentences!

[elle]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Well Fleetwood Mac not only doesn’t currently exist, it doesn't exist since 2018, or maybe before.

Fleetwood Mac never exists between tours or albums.

same was also spelled out in Lindsey's lawsuit.

[elle]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

I want the juicy stuff like WHO Fleetwood Mac auditioned but did not make the cut. How did Billy know about Lindsey's firing before it was public?!

many of us first heard of it on February 8th. including that Campbell is in.

Billy spilled it in April.

the plan originally sounded like just Campbell, but in the next months they figured out he can't really sing Lindsey's songs like they wanted him to. so they had to audition another singer/guitarist.

[SteveMacD]

Sweet Jesus, please say we’re not going to have a long round of pissing over semantics like “divorce” versus “fired” and pretend like a lot hasn’t come out since the lawsuit, like Brett’s interview, the replies from Stevie and especially Irving (“I have historically declined comment on artists, but in the case of Lindsey Buckingham, I will make an exception”), or the fact Mick and Lindsey reconciled after Peter died.

The band fired Lindsey and toured with two other guys. It’s over, it’s done, Christine has since died, and the band isn’t getting back together.

Let it be.

[elle]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Brett’s interview, the replies from Stevie and especially Irving (“I have historically declined comment on artists, but in the case of Lindsey Buckingham, I will make an exception”)

exactly. and this interview makes it crystal clear that Stevie (and Azoff) statements were complete bs.

i wonder whether Azoff's power in music world waned when Neil was willing to spill this out.